


First Mate: Matte Skye

by scottster246



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Non-Binary Character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8527216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scottster246/pseuds/scottster246
Summary: Matte Skye sets off on their maiden voyageEveryone starts at the bottom, but for some it can lead to something amazing





	

“SKYE! CHECK THE ENGINES! I DON’T WANT US GETTING STUCK ON OUR MAIDEN VOYAGE!” The Captain called out to the new recruit, it was to be the first voyage of the ship Serpiente Marina set to sail from the docks to the East of Vale to the beaches on the West side of Menagerie.

Matte Skye had always wanted to get out onto the sea.  
They failed to pass their entry exam for Shade academy, when they heard they wouldn’t be training to become a huntsman they had almost given up, they were 17, their dream had been crushed because they didn’t have the skills to get into their academy, but when the openings for crew members on a new ship over in Vale became available they had to try, they had lost their dream of travelling the continents of Remnant helping those in need and killing Grimm, but that doesn’t mean they were about to sit down and accept a boring life and a menial job, they wanted to get out there and be free.  
Matte’s parents helped them through the process and gathered the money Matte would need to make the trip to Vale, everyone was relying on them to get out there and do this, the job would pay well given the dangers of the sea and the long periods away from land so they were prepared to pay their parents back in full and more once they started making money...if they got the job.  
Matte told their family they’d been accepted into the role, “First Mate to the Captain” they told them...they couldn’t bear to tell them they were making the trip for an opportunity, they would have told them “There’s plenty of opportunities here for you Mattie” and while there were, none of them would pay well, their village was poor, nobody could offer them much, but Vale was a big city, even a low level job there would pay more than anything they could get at home, they had to try.

 

“COME ON MATTE! GET YER ARSE IN GEAR AND MAKE SURE THE HEAVY CANNON IS READY!”  
Matte tightened the last dust cell into the engine and locked them all off,  
“Aye Captain!” They shouted in response, the Captain could be bossy and work them hard, but Matte knew it was all necessary, the Grimm on land were bad, but huntsman usually cut them down before they could get too strong and the bigger ones generally avoided populated areas, but on the sea? Not many Huntsman come out here, and the Grimm have a near infinite amount of space to hide, to grow, to wait until an unsuspecting ship sails by so they can rip the thing to shreds.  
Megaladon’s, Barbacudo’s, the Kraken’s, they were all deadly creatures and near impossible to detect while out at sea, so everything had to be in perfect shape, just in case.  
Matte ran their way to the heavy cannon storage area below deck, they were tired, filthy and out of breathe, but they were not going to give up, ever, they had too much to lose and too many people relying on them.  
Their hands were cut and calloused from the weeks of training they did during their application but they weren’t about to let that slow them down, Matte hurried to the heavy canon terminal and began searching through the status’ displayed on screen. “Damn, hydraulics on the reload are losing pressure” They grabbed some tools from a case mounted in the wall and knelt next to the faulty component, as they reached to check over the tank mounted to the side of the canon a jet of steam hissed out, scolding their hand and making them leap back in shock, “HEY! Are you ok down there?” Matte looked up through their hazy vision to see a figure standing above them, her long blue ponytail and orange neckerchief instantly recognisable, she was the Captain’s first mate and their superior, Matte jumped up out of instinct, forgetting their injury, “AYE M-AAGGH!” When Matte saluted her the burns on their hand revealed just how bad they were as a course of pain shot through their arm,  
“Hey, whoa take it easy, let me see that” She gently took Matte’s hand into her own, inspecting the new wound, “Ouch, that’s a pretty bad burn...” She grabs some supplies from the medical station by the entrance to the canon storage room and set about carefully cleaning and dressing Matte’s wound.  
She sighs as she looks around to the doorway leading to the upper deck, “...look, we haven’t set off yet...it would be irresponsible of me to ask you to remain and help with an injury this bad...I’ll let the Captain know I let you off once we get out to sea, ok?” Matte’s chest sunk, they were already failing and they hadn’t even set sail yet.  
“N-No I-I’m fine really!” They pulled their hand away from the first mate and hand to choke back another cry of pain, “I...I can’t get off, I need this”  
She looked down at the young person before her and sighed, “Look, kid...I get that, you’ll be getting some compensation pay, more than enough to keep you going until we return and by then your injuries should be healed, I can’t in clear conscious allow you to stay aboard this ship, I’m sorry”  
Matte chocked back the tears welling behind their eyes, they weakly nodded and began to slowly walk to leave, “...Hey...here, these’ll help with your burns, just take it easy alright, we’ll be ready for you in a few months when we return” She handed Matte a pair of brown leather gloves, they should have been wearing them, they never could adapt to the things in training though.  
Matte took the gloves and walked up the stairs, leaving the ship, leaving her future behind, “Stupid kid...you had your chance and you blew it...again”  
The Serpiente Marina had set sail, Lapis looked over the deck and the various crew members all working hard and the passengers enjoying their trip, she ran a good crew, she ran through the rosters on her scroll, making sure everyone was working and had checked into their duty as they were supposed to, everything looked in place. She tucked her scroll away and looked back out to the deck, but there was something out of place, the crew member mopping the deck, Jones was assigned to hygiene duty and he was working out the stern of the ship according to her scroll, she hopped down to the deck and approached the would be janitor, “Hey! What are you doing?” They continued to mop, not reacting to her voice, there was something out to the way they moved, there was a pain to it, like every motion was a struggle, she grabbed their shoulder and spun them around to face her, only to be greeted by the crew member she had sent away before they had set sail, wearing a beanie and a jacket in a poor attempt to disguise them self, “YOU! I thought I told you to leave?!” Matte backed away a couple steps only for Lapis to grab their arm, “Why are you here?”  
Matte’s hands were shaking in the first mates grip, the pain from the burns spiking and surging through her arm.  
“I...I couldn’t...”  
“Couldn’t what?! Take care of yourself? Not put your life and the rest of the crew in jeopardy?! Have you forgotten what’s out in these waters? Do you really think you’re in any condition to be her right now?” The tears burned behind Matte’s eyes, begging to flow free, but they held tight, they had to be strong,  
“I...I couldn’t fail...not again, everyone is depending on me to bring home some money, I need to do this for them...” Lapis stared her down  
“...Come with me, now” with extra emphasis on the final word she turned and dragged Matte away, leading them into one of the sectors of the ship she knew would be empty.  
“You would be getting paid for your injuries, you would have been awarded sick leave in compensation for your injuries...this is NOT just about money and it’s NOT just you trying to provide for everyone at home, if it was, you would never have taken such a high risk job over a cushy one back in Vale...Now, I’ll ask you again, Why are you here?” She tapped her foot as she stared them down, demanding the truth from the scared rookie.  
“I...I...” Matte let out a breathe she was unaware she had been holding, “I wanted to be a huntress...my aura wasn’t strong enough and I failed just about every other test they threw at me...I just wanted to help people but I wasn’t deemed good enough for that chance...When I found this opportunity I thought I could do it all, get that sense of adventure but also be able to help my family back home...but apparently, I was stupid and ruined my chance before it even began...again”  
Lapis didn’t react for a moment, letting it all sink in before she let out a sigh, “Gloves off kid, let me see your hand” Matte complied and offered her the bandaged appendage, she carefully removed the bandages and inspected the wound, “...it’s not too bad...I’ll let you stay working...and consider not firing you as soon as we get to Menagerie...but I’m not going to go easy on you, you want to be a part of my crew and work on this ship with this injury, then you’ll work the same as everyone else...here” She removed the bright orange neckerchief from her neck and tied it around Matte’s, redressed their bandage and returned their glove, “There, now I can keep my eye on you, make sure you’re pulling your weight” she turned to leave but stopped at the door, “While you’re in here, the heavy canon needs a routine check over, do try not to burn yourself this time” with a wink and a smile she left, maybe they hadn’t failed yet after all.

 

“Story says you’ll never see them coming, by the time you know they’re there, it’s already too late, you’ll hear them singing and you’ll already be under their spell”  
“Oh come on Krieg, you really believe that old tale?”  
“Is true, me buddy Jackson saw one of ‘em ‘imself”  
Matte was sitting with the crew listening to the mad man tell his tales, “So, if he saw one how did he survive? Didn’t you say nobody managed to escape one yet?” They interjected  
“’at I did kiddo, at east someone still listens to this old timer an’ I have a great story to explain it all too” most of the older crew members groaned in unison, “Don’t listen to these naysayers, it’s a great tale kiddo, see all ye ever hear from those Grimm Sirens is their melodious call and then, the gentle waves as they drift over to you and the-” the man’s tale was interrupted as a load crash was heard, the force of it enough to shake the whole boat.  
“...those weren’t gentle waves...” One member said  
“Aye, so at least we know what it wasn’t” The crew all stood and ran to the deck to search for the cause of the noise, the ocean was still and quiet, no sign of any disturbance, Matte watched over the side at the steady ocean, something was very wrong.  
As they stared into the sea a shadow began to form below the boat, “...h-HEY I-” A loud gunshot cut them short as they turned to face the crew, Lapis stood there with a smoking flintlock, a dead Grimm dissolved away next to Matte,  
“Barbacudo’s...shit, Matte get to the armoury and get yourself a weapon, there’s going to be a whole lot more of them...” Lapis hesitated, like she wanted to say more, but held back,  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Hmmm...a bad feeling...that noise was a single hit...no way a single Barbacudo could make that noise, and a whole School of them would have made multiple distinct noises...did you check the heavy canon?”  
“Aye, everything is working 100% down there”  
“Good...let’s hope we don’t need it” With a nod of aggreance Matte ran down below deck to grab them self a weapon.  
The boat shook around them as another loud thud was heard followed by screams of terror from passengers and crew members alike, Matte grabbed a flintlock and cutlass and made their way back to the upper deck.

 

Matte scanned the scene before them, countless bipedal Barbacudo’s were darting across the deck, every time one got cut down several more dove up to replace it, Matte’s grip on the weapon tightened, the pain in their hand barely registering through the adrenaline in their system, they took one step forward to join the fight when the entire ship was shrouded in darkness, several giant black tentacles rose from the depths around the ship, Lapis’ voice could be heard cutting through the chaos, “KRAKEN! ALL HANDS TAKE COVER!” Matte ducked back into the stairwell as the first strike hit the ship, smashing against the armoured deck, killing multiple crew members and Barbacudo’s, Lapis steadied herself and looked to Matte, “MATTE! GET YER ARSE TO THE COCKPIT AND HELP THE CAPTAINWITH THE HEAVY CANON!” Matte wanted to freeze, to lock and hope it all ends soon, one way or another, but they couldn’t, this was their job and people were counting on her, not just her family but her crew as well.  
“AYE!” They called out before dashing out from cover slashing Barbacudo’s as they ran past, another hefty blow from the Kraken sent the flying back into a wall but they couldn’t slow down, they were needed now more than ever.  
Matte burst into the cockpit where the captain was struggling to maintain the flurry of alarms and warnings on their console, “Who the bloody hell are you!?”  
“Matte Skye Sir!” They responded with a salute, “First mate Lapis ordered me up her to assist with the heavy canon”  
“Is that so? Well then quit yer yappin’ and get that baby online!”  
“Aye Sir!” They ran to the heavy canon controls and set about completing the list of procedures, fail-safe’s and commands needed to activate the heavy artillery. The canon deployed from its station with a series of heavy clunks and the whirring of gears, “Take aim Private!”  
Matte spun the controls to swivel the canon around the face the nearest tentacle, “Target locked Sir!”  
“Load and fire when ready!” Matte loads a shell into the chamber and fires at the tentacle, blowing it in half, the mass dissolving before it can hit the water. “Direct hit Sir!”  
“Good work Mattie, now load up and take aim again! Let’s kill this son of a bitch!”  
“Aye Sir!” Matte was ecstatic, they loaded up another round and pivoted to take aim at the next target, as they lined up the shot the entire boat shook, every Barbacudo on board fled the deck and dove back into the sea, the rumbling increased as a from began to rise from the depths, it’s shape dwarfing to ship as it rose higher, “h-holy shit...” was all Matte could utter before the Grimm’s beaked mouth screeched a deafening cry at everyone aboard.

 

“MATTE! Wake up and fire at that thing!” Matte jumped back to the controls of the canon and took aim at the Kraken, before they could line up the shot a tentacle slammed down near the canon.  
Matte tried to aim the canon but it refused to budge, the previous attack locking off the controls, “Matte! Kill that thing already”  
“T-The controls are locked I can’t aim from here” Matte began to slam the controls, in any hope to get them working again but it was hopeless, the controls were locked, the only chance now would be manual controls which would require someone to get next to that creature and fire at it directly.  
Matte, gathered their thoughts and prepared to move for the canon, it was their job now to operate it, even if it meant losing their life in the process, “LAPIS! The hell are you doing? Get away from that thing!” Matte looked out across the deck to see the first mate charging for the canon, getting the other crew members out of the way as she charged for the artillery.  
As she reached the canon her voice could be heard crackling through the console, “Sir, GAH-”a slam and a grunt interrupted her before her voice returned, “A Barbacudo got me pretty bad Sir, I-I’m bleeding pretty damn good...doubt I’ll be able to survive the rest of the journey without proper medical attention...given that our voyage still has a few weeks left, highly doubt I’ll live to see a Doctor AHH-” another slam followed by a screech rang out.  
“Lapis for Dust’s sake get yer arse back here! There’s another way, there always is!”  
“Sorry sir, not this time” The canon began to shift, slowly lining up to its target, “Sir...it’s been an honour serving with you and the crew...do me a favour and keep an eye on the kid for me...be careful though, they’re a handfu-” The Grimm raised its tentacle ready for another slam, “Goodbye Sir” Asher voice crackled out from the console the explosion from the canon was heard, Matte watched on as the Kraken’s beaked mouth was blown clean through, the large sea creature folding in on itself and dissolving away as it’s death grip released the ship, warnings on the console began to stabilise as the assault ended.  
Matte slowly shuffle out of the cabin and onto the deck, the canon at the front of the ship was warped and broken, it would need some serious repairs once they arrived at Menagerie, they mindlessly wandered toward the artillery, the noise of the ship and crew falling deaf to them as they walked, as they reached the mutilated canon their knees buckled and they knelt in front of the canon, tears running down their cheeks as they silently stared at the warped, smoking metal.  
“...k...knew you’d b-be trouble...kid” Matte looked up, a bloody leg was sticking out from in front of the canon, “I-If you don’t mind...I’d appreciate it...if you stopped crying and helped me...” Matte crawled forward to find Lapis, bloody and half dead propped up against the front of the canon, “w-what?...you think a stupid fish was gonna kill m-me?...I’m too stubborn for that...” She coughed hard and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the deck before resting her head back up against the canon.  
“ca...Captain...CAPTAIN!”

 

Matte stood above deck, polishing the newly replaced canon, “Now that’s a fine piece of artillery, no Grimm will be giving us any trouble now with this baby” The Captain said with a chuckle  
“No, the workers here did a wonderful job with the modifications, we shan’t be having another incident like...that, again” on queue Lapis rolled up to the two, her trousers tied around the stumps of her missing legs,  
“You two still talking about me? Come on now, I’ll be able to get some new and improved prosthetic legs once we return to Vale, I’m smart enough to take out insurance before signing up for a job like this, plus it’s not exactly my first injury...maybe my worst but I’ll live” Matte looked down to her with some concern in their eyes, they wanted to say something but was never sure what, “Say, Captain?” Lapis interjected, “Seems like I’ll be out of commission for a least a few months, wheelchairs aren’t exactly the best for ship work and it’ll take a lot of physical therapy before I’ll learn to walk again, plus a lot of readjusting once I get back onto the boat...figure you’ll be needing someone to help run things while I’m down” Lapis gave a wink to the Captain  
“I suppose you’re right, can’t have a Captain without their first mate now, wouldn’t be easy work, a lot of responsibility, long hours, would have to know the ship inside and out and would have to be able to issue orders to the rest of the crew plus there’s always the possibility of another attack, gonna have to be able to know how all this machinery works, especially this old gun” He gave the canon a couple knocks to emphasise his point, Matte grunted in annoyance and cleaned the mark he left.  
“First mate, Matte Skye, got a nice ring to it don’t you think?” Matte looked around at the two in confusion  
“W-wait, what?” The elder sailors laughed at their confusion  
“I don’t just give my scarf away to anyone Mattie, you’re an idiot, you’re compulsive, a danger to yourself, injured yourself before we even set sail...” Matte held a sullen expression as she listed of her negative traits, “But you’re determined, came back despite your injuries, you handled yourself well under pressure and you’ve never backed down from a challenge, I honestly can’t think of a better person to take over in my absence” Matte began to feel chocked up as they held back the tears brewing behind their eyes  
“R...really? You think I can do it?”  
“What we think doesn’t matter, it’s what you DO that really counts...and I’d say so far you’ve done more than enough, plus the rest of the crew respect you, I watched you all during the maintenance and repairs and when you asked something to be done it was done without question” The Captain explained, “So, Matte Skye, would you do the honour of being my first mate?” Matte felt a smile break out across their lips as they stood and saluted the older gentleman,  
“Aye Captain, I won’t let you down” Lapis rolled forward and took their hand,  
“I’ll be guiding you every step of the way, and once I get some new legs, I’m gonna need someone to help me teach them to be proper sea legs once again...I used to be quite the dancer y’know” Both Lapis’ hand and gaze lingered on Matte before the Captain interrupted,  
“If you two are quite done I do believe we have a maiden voyage to complete, wouldn’t want our passengers to be any later getting to Vale then they already are now”  
“Aye Captain!” Matte stood with a salute, they manually retracted the heavy canon and set out issuing orders to the rest of the crew, all of them jumping in line despite lacking the knowledge of Matte’s promotion.  
The Captain and his former first mate watched on, “Told you they’d be trouble”  
“Aye...but so were you when you first came under my command on our last ship”  
“True...but trouble doesn’t always mean something bad...” The Captain looked down at her with a soft smile,  
“...sometimes it just means the start of something fantastic”


End file.
